10:6 Julia (pt. 5) The Last Post - Structure

Having looked at the songwriting magic that Lennon casts over Julia with imagery, weird chord progressions and odd scales lets finish with the big picture.

The coolest thing for me is that the song has two different (though not unrelated) verses. I don't just mean 'verse one' and 'verse two'. I mean verse 1 and 5 are constructed differently to verses 2-4 and 6-7. Different chord pattern, structure, amount of lines and bars. The only similarity is the 8 bar 'intro' verse has same last 4 bars as the 'regular' 12 bar verse (the latter, being a 'non-blues 12 bar pattern', is another example of ticket 35).

The inspiration for this unusual 'intro-verse' is clearly the jazz showtunes of to 20's, 30's and 40's - songs like I Got Rhythm, That Old Black Magic and The Lady Is A Tramp. If the source seems unlikely, remember that the Beatles covered songs such as Falling In Love Again and True Love while serving their apprenticeship in Hamburg.

You could also explain the genesis of the section as either ticket 4 - creating an intro from another section of the song (the 'normal' verse) or ticket 41 - using the same ending for two section (making it a relative of Golden Slumbers).

Either way, this 'introductory verse' idea can be heard on Beatles songs as diverse as Honey Pie, Here There And Everywhere and Do You Want To Know A Secret.

Regardless of versal weirdness (hey, I just invented a word!) the song is a solid member of the ticket 26 club. Julia is essentially an AABA structure with no chorus, just like I Saw Her Standing There or Eleanor Rigby.

We can spot a Lennon edit (ticket 37) on the end of most verses because stretching the title out for 7 beats (Ju-------li-a) means Lennon would have had to tack on an extra bar or two to finish the verse before the next one starts.

The song ends on a single ringing chord (ticket 18 - a favourite ending from the early days) made fresher by the fact that the only time Dmaj7 appears is as the last chord in the song!

Next time, a very different kind of love song - Why Don't We Do It In The Road?

The Minor 4 Chord (pt.4)

From the m2 to the m4

(Read part one here)

This a very Lennon change – he used the exact same progression three times to great effect, most famously in

Nowhere Man

Em Making all his Gm Nowhere plans for D nobody
(and all the other lines that end the verses)

(ii, iv, I)

It also crops up in the verses of

Across The Universe

Po- Em -ssessing and ca- Gm -ressing me. D Jai…
In- Em -citing and in- Gm -viting me. D Limitless…

(ii, iv, I)

and With The Beatles track

All I’ve Got to Do

F#m Call you on the phone
& you’ll come running home
Yeah Am that’s all I E gotta do.

(ii, iv, I)


Other songs

The progression dates back to the first album where it made an appearance on Do You Want To Know A Secret, in the verse just after “Do you promise not to tell”

G#m Gm Woh F#m oh Am oh E Closer…

(iii, biii, ii, iv/bVI, I)

McCartney plays a C under the Am making it sound even more complex than it already is.

He covers his tracks in a similar way (on piano this time) on the intro to Honey Pie. Instead of playing Am - Cm - G (which would be Nowhere Man transposed) he plays Am/D - Cm – G.

Em She A6 was a Am/D working girl Cm north of England G way

(vi, II, ii/V, iv, I)

As well as appearing in the verse of You Won’t See Me the bridge has the following progression


Bm Time after Dm time you re- D dim fuse to even A listen

ii, iv, iv dim, I (key of A)

A final alteration comes from the chorus of She Loves You (also in the key of G) where, instead of approaching the iv (Cm) from the ‘in key’ Am he uses a major (A7).

She Em loves you yeah, yeah, yeah
She A7 loves you yeah, yeah, yeah
With a Cm love like that
You D7 know you should be G glad

(vi, II, iv, V, I)

Try using this chord pattern in your songwriting. here's the progression in some common keys (the last chord is the root). Keep 'em in your songwriting tool box...

Em - Gm - D

Bm - Dm - A

F#m - Am - E

Dm - Fm - C

Am - Cm - G

1: Introduction
2: Major 4 to minor 4
3: Minor 6 to minor 4
4: Minor 2 to minor 4
5: 1 to minor 4 

1:10 Do You Want To Know A Secret?

yes.

Do You Want To Know A Secret?

This song hides a gorgeous verse underneath it's frenetic tempo.

The simple yet intimate lyrics match the tune perfectly. Just try the song slowly and softly with a light jazzy swing…can’t you visualise the sultry chanteuse sprawling on top of the piano breathing, “closer...let me whisper in your ear”? That Lennon & McCartney considered it a throwaway song is evidenced by the fact that they threw it in Harrison’s direction as his token vocal solo. Perhaps they gave up on the song after penning the bone-jarring, gear-crunching bridge.

As well as soaking in repeated plays of the magnificent verse melody we can take away the unexpected and seductive Am (the iv chord - Ticket 8 again) that occurs just before the word “closer” and draws you down into the repeat of the verse so deliciously.

no.

Buy Please Please Me (Amazon UK / Amazon US)

70+ Songwriting Tips From The Beatles

The BeAtletudes

About Beatles Songwriting Academy

Let's Build An Airport EP